One of Those Days
by Caranath
Summary: Daniel is alone and hurt off world with no idea where he is or whether he is a prisoner or guest. The rest of SG1 have no idea where to start looking for their wayward archeologist. You know, the usual...
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **_So, I have been asked to do another SG1 story. my first was a one shot called Vigil in case you want to look it up. This will be my first attempt at an actual story line. for these guys at least. no idea how fast this will flow, nor how long it will end up being. I can tell you there will be Danny Whumping, Jack will be snarky and Sam and Teal'c will deal with everything in their usual stoic fashion; and Hammond will probably develop an ulcer by the time I am through with him. Everything else is subject to revision. _

**One of Those Days**

The hallways under Cheyenne Mountain bustled just like every other day. Which day it was didn't matter. Like most Military installations, there was no such thing as weekends or holidays. Especially for the people of Stargate Command. Not only did they have to deal with East Coast Time for the Brass at the Pentagon, and GMT for the IOC , they also had umpteen different planetary time zones to contend with at any given moment, Once, an enterprising group of individuals( none of whom have confessed as yet) changed all the world time zone clocks in General Hammond's conference room from such pedantic locations as Zurich and Moscow to the current Tok'ra homeworld, the Asgaard home planet and Ba'al's current base. It took a week before someone noticed. They left it as is.

The quiet humming that permeated the Mountain was interrupted with a forceful explosion of temper. "What do you _mean_ you can't find him?!" Sgts. Siler and Harriman, who had been companionably walking down the corridor discussing their lunch plans( it was meatloaf day) stopped short at the the slightly open door to Hammond's office and unabashedly stayed to listen to the temper tantrum. Col. John 'Jack' O'Neill was legendary when it came to tirades, especially when it concerned his Team. "I take a well deserved fishing break over a few paltry days and you _lose_ Daniel?!"

Hammond tried unsuccessfully to calm the irate man. "It wasn't quite that simple, Jack." Hammond sighed patiently, wishing yet again that he had gone ahead and retired anyway, despite having the command of his dreams dangled in front of him like a carrot. "SG-6 found something on P3X-919 and needed his expertise. He was in their sight the whole time until the storm came."

"Are you telling me that they let a little _weather _interfere with their duty to keep the civilians safe?!" Jack's voice grew dangerously guttural. He would never be openly disrespectful to Hammond, having far too much admiration for the man, but he took the boundaries around the Superior/Junior Officer relationship and stretched them to damn near breaking point. Any other CO would have court martialed him a dozen times already.

"Jack, will you just listen for half a second!" Hammond's patience was wearing thin, as he could barely get a word in edgewise to explain. "The storm consisted of fireballs and other phenomenon no one has seen before," he continued. " Major Murphy lost 2 members of his Team to burns before they could get out. Daniel was too far from the Gate to get back without being hit himself so he said he'd take shelter in a nearby cave." He took a deep breath before continuing, silently daring Jack to interrupt him. Wisely, the man said nothing more.

"We sent a MALP back in a few hours later and a drone as well. As soon as the storm cleared, Murphy himself led the retrieval team. There was no sign of Jackson at either the cave or at the artifact he was examining. And yes, Teal'c and Col. Carter went as well." When it came down to it, Jack really truly trusted no one but his own people. And maybe Dr. Frasier.

Jack plopped unceremoniously into the chair positioned across from Hammond's desk. Back at work 15 minutes and already he was exhausted. At least this was mental exhaustion, not physical, which is why he had been ordered in no uncertain terms to go fishing by the short brunette who ran the Infirmary like her own private country. "So what's the plan?" he was calmer now, but still worried.

"We have inquiries out to the Tok'ra and the Asgaard. Just in case they 'borrowed' him." Hammond couldn't repress a snort. Their 'allies' had a tendency to do that a lot. "We also have done a more thorough sweep of the planet and the surrounding space just in case the storm was not natural."

"Whose region of space is it? Ba'al's?" O'Neill was slightly obsessed with taking Ba'al down for a variety of reasons. But mostly because of the torture he had endured at the G'ould's hands. Torture he never would have survived if it weren't for an at the time Ascended Daniel Jackson's moral support. Hammond shook his head.

"We have no idea if the territory is claimed by any System Lord, or the Lucian Alliance or any body else for that matter. " Hammond sighed again. Every time somebody was lost, hurt or worse he took it personally. But none more so than Daniel Jackson. It could easily be argued that there would not be a Stargate Program without his singlehandedly deciphering the symbols on the gate.. If ever there was a planetary hero that no one ever heard of, it was the shy, studious archeologist. And he was not alone in his feelings. The rest of SG-1 would browbeat him mercilessly until he agreed to let them be part of whatever rescue attempt there would be. It was the mark of a good CO to let them think that they got away with as much as they did. He had already slated O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c as the leads. Only they knew Jackson well enough to find him. If he could be found.

"Col. Carter has already begun analyzing the data gathered by the MALP and drone. She's in her lab. I expect a preliminary report by the end of the day." Hammond dismissed O'Neill then by pointedly picking up the phone on his desk and waiting until Jack stood before dialing. Jack nearly ran over Harriman and Siler, who had not budged at all the entire time. Suddenly Walter became _very _ interested in the contents of his clipboard while Siler remembered he was carrying a wrench the size of a three year old back to the equipment room. Jack spared them the full effect of his glare, knowing they were just as concerned over Daniel as he was. With a curt nod he sent them scurrying on their way as he briskly made his way towards the lab that Lt Col Samantha 'Sam' Carter had long ago commandeered for her own purposes. He reflected as he wandered about the corridors, unconsciously walking the brightly painted stripe that led to the research areas as if he was doing a sobriety test. He ignored any and all greetings along the way in his singleminded purpose.

He heard Teal'c's deep, soothing voice before he turned the corner and entered the lab. "You must have nourishment, Col. Carter." he intoned, always formal even after all these years amongst the Tau'ri.

"Not while Daniel's out there, Teal'c." the blond Air Force officer protested. "I'll be fine with just coffee."

"Teal'c's right, Carter" Jack said. "You'll think better on a full stomach. And you can bring me up to speed while we eat." Sam had jumped at the sound of her CO's voice and aborted the automatic salute that threatened to betray her. She had never quite gotten around to relaxing in his presence, professionally or otherwise.

"Sir!" she gulped. "Welcome back."

"Indeed, O'Neill, it is good to see you back at Stargate Command." Teal'c added his own welcome. He too, was always rigid and formal around the grizzled officer , but he seemed more relaxed about it. At least, as relaxed as a Jaffa got...

"Time's a wastin', Kids. I'm buying. It's Meatloaf Day!" even now Jack tried to keep the spirits of the rest of SG-1 up. Along the way, they ran into Major Murphy, who was peremptorily ordered to join them for lunch as well. He dared not beg off. He was new to the SGC, only been there about 6 months and a team leader for about half that time. One of the first things everybody learned was Thou Shalt Not Push Col. Jack O'Neill's Buttons. And the biggest transgression? Allowing Daniel Jackson to get so much as a paper cut while on your watch. If you were so foolish as to let that happen, you were _persona non grata_ and in the dog house for the duration. It was an experience you wouldn't wish on anyone. Except maybe Ba'al. Or Ni'irti.

As everyone spoke around mouthfuls of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans, Jack was swiftly brought up to speed. He listened, asked a few clarifying questions here and there, but mostly just let them speak, bouncing ideas and theories off each other. The facts, as they were, were pretty sparse.

Major Murphy and SG-6 had been dispatched to P3X-919 as part of the SGC's ongoing mission to find and exploit alien technology to aid in the defense of the planet against extraterrestrial threat. Addresses were culled from various sources as well as a program devised to randomly dial out in the hopes of getting a hit. This particular address had come from a repository of addresses found at a gathering place for the four advanced races, the Nox, Asgaard, Ancients and Furlings. In the many years the SGC had been in business they had many dealings with the two middle races, one with the Nox who had politely but firmly told the Taur'i to grow up a little more before they tried to play again, and of the Furlings, there had been no sign. And no one seemed all that interested in looking for them or answering any questions about the elusive fourth race.

SG-6's resident 'geek'(read.. scientist not military) had nearly dropped dead of a heart attack when she saw the carvings that graced the walls of the small structure located a good two miles from the Gate. She immediately recognized Ancient, but wanted Daniel's input on what she swore was Nox and maybe Furling as well. Some of the top linguists of the planet had been searching for a Rosetta Stone for Alien Races to no avail. Marilyn Rodgers hoped that this could be at least a starting point. She had excitedly radioed for Daniel, sending video to entice him out of his dusty office where he seldom left except to go through the Gate in search of dusty artifacts. He was immediately intrigued and had her continue to take as much video as she possibly could and he'd be right there.

They'd spent the rest of the day and half of the next taking pictures, rubbings and notes. At one point, the memory card on the camera was full and Dr Rodgers went back to the Gate to get a replacement having not had any spares with her. Daniel barely acknowledged her telling him she would be right back.

From that point, details got fuzzy. Dr Rodgers never made it back to the Gate as as she was about halfway back, "The skies caught on fire" as Murphy put it. At O'Neill's questioning look, the young officer just shrugged. "Can't explain it any other way, Sir. It was like the atmosphere exploded. Got hard to breathe and these fireballs just came hurling at us from nowhere. Like a meteor strike."

"Only the planet is nowhere near a meteor belt, nor was there anything like an active volcano nearby to explain it." Carter chimed in, biting her lower lip in consternation.

Murphy continued the tale. "I radioed for everyone to get back to the Gate. Reynolds never answered. Jackson said he was stuck and there was a cave just a few feet away he was going to head for. Donovan and Bellows were already at the Gate by then when a fireball took out Bellows;" here he stopped, shuddering at the memory of the young Corporal on fire and his screams of pain. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before continuing. "Donovan tried to smother the flames, but it was too late. He's in the Infirmary himself, second and third degree burns. I got off easy." the man continued bitterly. "Only first and second degree burns on my back and arms." indeed, one arm was bandaged and in a sling and Jack just now realized that he was wearing a decidedly non regulation hospital scrub top over his ACU bottoms.

Sam took up the tale after placing a sympathetic hand on Murphy's uninjured arm. "The first time we sent another MALP through, the storm was still going on. It lasted maybe 4 hours total. When it looked as if it was over we sent the drone to do a fly over. It found Reynolds' body about halfway back to the Gate, she looked like one of the Vesuvius victims." Sam also shuddered lightly before continuing. "but Daniel never answered attempts to radio him and when the go ahead was given for a search, we found nothing at the cave or the building. No equipment, no nothing."

"So basically what you are saying is, we got squat as far as leads go." the pronouncement was delivered in a flat tone that shocked even Sam Carter.

"Y..yes Sir." she acknowledged softly.

Suddenly Jack leaned forward. "We've done more with less before. We'll find him, Carter." The Colonel was confident but not cocky. Daniel had beat the odds so many times before, he had no reason to think this time was any different. (_Hang in there, Space Monkey. We're comin'.)_

**A/n: **_I do confess to being a little rusty so minor details may be off. you can decide for yourselves when this takes place. but in my universe, Frasier never dies. that's the only liberty I admit to taking from canon. so far.__  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n:** _Verrrry short chapter here. anything from Daniel's POV will be quite short at least at first as , well, he's pretty much gonna be drifting in and out of consciousness for a while. You know how he gets. and he's not the greatest conversationalist at the best of times anyway. But each time we see him we'll get just a smidge more information as to where he is, and who has him__  
_

_or will we?! bwahahahahaha_

**Chapter Two**

Daniel had no idea he was the subject of so much intense dialogue. Had he been aware, he most likely would have been embarrassed and shrugged it off. At the moment, however he was blissfully unconscious. He was completely oblivious to the injuries he had sustained when the sky rained fire down upon him and the other Stargate personnel. Dr Frasier would have been grimly pleased at the knowledge. Second degree burns are painful, and Daniel's back and legs were covered with them. In his typical misguided sense of responsibility, the young archeologist had instinctively protected his artifacts at the expense of his own self preservation. When the fireballs had first appeared, he was so engrossed in his examination of the writings he had immediately confirmed as Nox, he never heard the tell tale sounds of impending doom. It was only when one crashed to the ground mere feet from his position that he noticed anything was amiss. Startled out of his concentration, he had finally become aware of Major Murphy's frantic call over the radio. Fumbling slightly, he had thumbed the mic and reported in, saying that he was too far from the safety of the Gate and he's just take shelter in a nearby cave.

Problem was, nearby was relative. Either he had misjudged the distance, or he simply downplayed it. If one took out a measuring tape, it would in fact be closer to the cave than the gate from where he had started out. By about 5 yards But being Daniel Jackson he was more interested in preserving the writings on video tape and the longer he stayed, the more video he got. So instead of dutifully making for safety as instructed, he had continued his filming. Ironically, if he had been with SG1, Teal'c would have simply gone to Daniel and forced the archeologist to cover. Or, if Sam had been closer she would have used her feminine wiles upon him. Jack would have burst a blood vessel yelling. But odds were, Daniel would at that moment been safely ensconced in the Infirmary instead of MIA.

But he wasn't. Nor was he in the cave he finally, reluctantly tried to reach when it was obvious even to him that staying put was suicidally insane. In fact, he was no longer even on P3X-919. The fact would have dismayed him had he been awake. It was infuriating to the people looking for him.

Daniel had conceded that it might possibly be a good idea to get under cover and he began making his way toward the impressively large cave opening. Perhaps it was the sheer size of it that made it seem closer than it was; or maybe he was just a little slow that day. Regardless, Daniel had soon found himself dodging fireballs all around him. He stumbled at one point and went down on one knee. Before he could rise, however, a fireball impacted the ground nearly on top of him and the concussion from the blast knocked him completely over, the arid air burning his lungs and causing him to choke momentarily. His self preservation instincts finally kicked in at this point, although by now it was patently, painfully obvious that he was a goner. He barely had time to accept this inevitability and half wish Oma Desala was floating around ever watchful when a second, smaller, fireball hit the ground behind him and bounced, hitting Daniel in the middle of the back.

The pain was exquisitely excruciating. His screams were lost in the general cacophony of noise from the firestorm, not that it mattered as there was no one around to hear them.

Or so Daniel thought as he succumbed to oblivion.

**A/n: **_ However, chapters from the rescue team's POV will be much more satisfying, with plenty of snark, angry tirades and interpersonal relationships. as such gaps between some chapters will be much smaller than between others, due to the lack of anything exciting going on in Daniel's life for a while. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: ** _here ya go. Not quite as much snark as i wanted. Jack's more worried than he wants to admit and when that happens he tends to lose his witty dialogue. __  
_

_**Chapter Three**_

"I am telling you Sir, Daniel is Not. On. The. Planet." Sam Carter's voice was rich with frustration. Even she wasn't sure which 'Sir' she was speaking to, O'Neill or Hammond. "We have been over the entire surface with a microscope. Hell we even sent probes to look for hidden underground passages. Tok'ra manufacture or otherwise. He's just nowhere to be found." She sighed deeply, angry at her inability to locate her friend.

It didn't help that Jack had become increasingly curmudgeonly over the last 72 hours. Never one to be called affable in the first place, O'Neill was trying everyone's patience; patience that had already been worn thin by the lack of progress.

"What about the last address the the DHD dialed?" this from Dr Frasier who took rare advantage of her position as Department Head to attend the meeting.

Sam just shook her had sadly. "The SGC." Major Murphy had been the last one to use the device.

"So we expand the search area. What planets are nearby, within range of ships?" Jack ground out, visibly biting back what was most likely a very rude comment.

"We've started researching that and as soon as we have some data Request permission to.." She never got to finish as Hammond raised his hand.

"Granted. O'Neill, assemble a team, you have the run of the base for personnel. Which ship will you be wanting?"

"The Al'Kesh. I feel a pressing need to blow something up, General."

Sam bit her lip, frowning. "You disagree, Colonel?" Hammond asked.

"Not really, Sir, it's just..." she paused, glancing over at O'Neill in trepidation.

"Spit it out, Carter" the grizzled man hissed.

Sam gulped audibly but pressed on. "The Tel'Tak has a ring transporter. We might need to get out of wherever we end up in a hurry. And Daniel would not be happy if we went in all willy nilly blasting first and not trying to negotiate." Sam herself was torn. As a member of the military she knew that force was sometimes the only way, but she also held a great deal of respect for Daniel's philosophy as well.

"Yeah well he's not here to make the argument so it's a moot point. I don't suppose there is any hope in hell I could commandeer the _Prometheus_?" Jack turned to his superior with a pleading although belligerent look.

"Sorry, Jack. _Prometheus_ is well on her way to Atlantis and cannot be recalled." Jack grunted and crossed his arms in a sulk but said no more.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to split up and use both ships, General Hammond." Teal'c spoke for the first time all morning. "No doubt there will be several possible locations that Daniel Jackson has been taken. Would it not be better to search all of them simultaneously?" As always, the stoic Jaffa made a lot of sense.

"I concur. Jack, you will take the Al'Kesh. Col. Carter, the Tal'Tek is yours. Assemble your Teams. Just try to leave me a skeleton crew to defend the base. And Walter. He's the only one who knows where the paperclips are." Hammond's attempt at humor was met with everything from a small half hearted smile to a narrowing of eyes and a glare. He stood, causing the other uniformed personnel in the room to stand as well and Teal'c inclined his head in that almost regal way of his. The meeting broke, everyone frustrated at not being able to report any progress but with a new found determination to change that.

Sam hurried back to the control room, where she had set the computers to work mapping out viable planets within short range of P3X-919. Walter smiled as she arrived, handing her a sheet of paper. "Good news. Only three possibles. None are considered to be in the hands of bad guys."

"Thank you, Sergeant. That's definitely good news." Feeling hopeful for the first time in days, Sam rushed to inform O'Neill.

"Oh that's just ducky." O'Neill snarled upon hearing the news. Taken aback, Sam looked askance at her CO. "Two ships Carter. _Three_ possibilities. What if we leave the one Daniel's on for last and we end up being too late?!"

Dr Frasier, who had been nearby discussing a supply list with Teal'c interrupted. "Stop being so damn pessimistic, Colonel!" she scolded. To his credit, he had the grace to look chagrined. "At least you can check two at the same time, reducing the time needed to get to the final planet. Have a little faith in your people for a change."

At that, Jack bristled. "I do have faith, Doctor. I'd trust Carter and Teal'c with my life. Have. On several occasions."

"Then let them check one of the planets out and be confident they won't waste any unnecessary time or effort in doing so." Frasier put her hands on her hips. "And don't even _think_ about leaving without a medical team on board. Do not make me pull rank on you, Colonel." The tiny woman barely reached Jack's shoulder, and yet, he was cowed. Almost.

"Umm, Doctor, you are a Major. I am a Colonel. Who outranks who?!" The smile was predatory.

"I outrank everybody." As a group, everyone whirled to see General Hammond facing them, hands on his hips. A few spectators to the exchange decided that alluvasudden the hallways were a tad crowded and so hurried along about their business. "And Dr. Frasier is correct. When it comes to medical decisions she outranks even me. And that means if she says you need a medic, you accept. With a smile and a Thank You. Is that understood?" the voice was calm and even and no one had any doubt whatsoever that the Law had just been Laid Down.

"Yessir" Jack ground out. In truth he really wasn't that put out. He knew from all too often past experience that Daniel was probably all banged up and would need medical attention. But he did have an image to maintain.

In a matter of hours, both Teams were assembled and ready in the Gateroom. The two ships were off planet at the Alpha site and it would take a day to reach the area of space where, hopefully, Daniel had been taken. Gen. Hammond sent them off with his normal "Godspeed" farewell and Walter added his own "Good Luck" to the away teams.

When they arrived at the Alpha site, they were welcomed by Colonel Davies who escorted the group to the pair of ships gleaming dully in the late afternoon sun. "Both have been fully stocked and are ready to go. I'd join you, but the IOA is coming for a 'tour'." he could barely hide his disdain. Jack almost felt sympathetic towards the Pentagon flunky. He had no great love of the IOA himself.

Before the group split into two parts and made for their respective ships, Carter and O'Neill, along with Teal'c, got together one last time to discuss which planets to hit first.

"Sir, I suggest we take the two furthest ones first. That way we won't be backtracking upon our return. And the last planet is very close to P3X-919 and may have also come under attack by the storm. In facts I'd almost go so far as to call it a moon rather than a proper planet..."

When it came to science, Jack was no dummy, but at the same time he knew he was far outclassed by the blond officer in front of him. If that's what she thought, so be it. It did sort of make sense. "Fine. We take off in an hour. Everybody hit the potties now. We are NOT stopping at any rest stops along the way." Jack whirled and stalked off toward the Alpha site's cafeteria to grab something to eat. MRE's were never his favorite, and the Jaffa version was even worse.

An hour later, Davies was there to wish them luck as they boarded the two Goa'uld vessels. "I hope you find him soon." Was all he said . Carter smiled and thanked him, while Teal'c did his trademark head tilt thing and O'Neill merely nodded in acknowledgement. "Let's go, Kids. We got us an archeologist to find." (_And when we do, so help me, Daniel, I am going to chain you to your desk for a month._)

**A/n: **_Next up, Daniel awakes._ _ not that it will do him any good..._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: **_Nothing like vagueness to get everyone all worked up..._

**Chapter Four**

( _When I get out of here _) Daniel thought to himself, not willing yet to admit that the word he should be using is if rather than when ( _I am not leaving my desk for a month._ ) He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. Nor did he have any clue as to where he was, as his surroundings were pitch black. What he _did_ know was that he was laying on his stomach, his back was killing him and he was pretty much immobilized. Any attempt to move or shift was either met with excruciating pain or resistance in the form of what felt like leather straps binding him to the table or bed or platform or whatever the hell it was.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Umm..hello?" he tentatively spoke, his voice raspy. "Is there anyone there?" The words seemed to be absorbed by the darkness..There was no echo, no way to guesstimate the size of the room he was in, or if there was anything else in it. Or anyone. Daniel let his head fall and rest against the table. Sighing mightily he spoke aloud, just to reassure himself. "Why didn't they tell me there'd be days like this?" he moaned. " 'Solve this riddle.' They said. 'It'll be cool.' They said. "National security is at stake.' They said." Daniel grunted in exasperation. (_Funny how they neglected to mention Goa'uld and Lucien Alliances and Unas and the rest_.)

He tried again to get the attention of whoever or whatever had brought him here. "Hey, uhh, look, I appreciate the fact that you probably saved me from being burnt alive, but if it's all the same to you, I'd like to go back home now. Just, you know, drop me off at the nearest Gate and I'll see myself out."

Nothing. Not even the sound of breathing. In fact, Daniel realized with a start, he couldn't even hear his _own _ breathing. Or heartbeat, which picked up the pace at the realization. At this point, he began to panic and started struggling against his bonds, ignoring the searing pain it caused in his back. He was causing so much of his own noise that he failed to register the new sound; by the time the hissing got through his panic, it was too late and he breathed in the gas and was asleep in mere seconds.

Had he been awake, though, he may have heard the sibilant hiss of a door opening. It remained pitch black in the room, however. A solitary figure moved through the inky darkness with ease. An appendage reached out and rested lightly on Daniel's prone form, checking for a pulse. It was erratic and quite fast, but the figure showed no signs of alarm or worry. An outside observer, had there been one, who have posed a few questions. What was this creature? How did it know what a normal pulse rate for a human was? Or what constituted an injury, much less how to treat it? All those pesky practical questions. Jack O'Neill would have made snide comments about Klingons. Sam Carter would have theorized that all matter is essentially the same no matter what language is used so this alien must have some basis to work around. Teal'c would have tipped his head sideways and said "Indeed." The alien in question did none of these things. Instead, it sprayed a fine mist over Daniel's back, covering the burns in a foam that immediately cooled the burning and eased the daggers of pain running throughout. Had he been awake, Daniel would have been most grateful for the relief. A second sweep of an appendage that may or may not have been an arm felt for fever. Finding a low one, a second spray was administered, this time absorbing directly into his skin. Completing the exam, the being left the room as silently as it had entered, still in the dark.

The entire complex was devoid of light. It was capable of providing it, but as the current occupants(save one) did not need it to tend to routine tasks, it was not utilized. Daniel would have compared it to the living quarters of a blind person, had he been in a position to notice. As it was, he slept soundly, pain free and observed nothing.

The solitary figure made its' way down a corridor towards another door. It, too, slipped open with the quietest of hisses and repeated the noise as it closed again. This room was not empty, but neither was it occupied by a human, or any other race that Daniel would have recognized. In other words, he would have been giddy with delight.

The two figures stood close. The air became tainted with a low level electrical current that would have stood hair on end. If there was any. The silence grew heavy and yet at the same time it was obvious some form of communication was happening. The subject of the conversation slept on, blissfully unaware he was the topic of the moment. A decision having been made, the two figures went their separate ways. The initial being returned to the room where the slumbering archeologist still lay quietly. This time, there was no spray, but rather a long, microscopically thin probe that entered the base of Daniel's skull, extracting the merest sliver of brain tissue. The being removed the probe, and inserted it into its' own skull. And thus began the process.

**A/n: **_ vague enough for you? Are the aliens good guys or bad guys? Why did they save daniel? what do they want with his brain? and just exactly what do they look like? You'll find out.. when SG1 does..._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: **_finally some progress. Luckily for you, the trip we had scheduled for next week has been canceled so you won;t have to wait forever for the next chapter_

**Chapter Five**

Jack O'Neill was **not** in a good mood. The first 2 planets they had checked out took 36 hours to search and they came up empty. And here they were, both teams crawling over the third for the last 12 hours and so far, bubkis. Even Carter, normally the voice of optimism, was letting things get to her. Everyone knew, but was afraid to voice, that the longer it took, the less likely it was that Daniel would be found alive, or at all.

Sam's voice came crackling over the mike. "Sir, the Drone has completed it's sweep of the pole. I'm sorry, sir, but there's nothing." Jack cursed before thumbing the mike and replying.

"Understood, Carter. Sweep the upper atmosphere next. Might find a trail..." He didn't believe his words, but as the head Honcho it was his job to keep morale up. He turned weary eyes to his friend. "Teal'c, are we just kidding ourselves?" he asked resignedly, half dreading the answer as he knew full well the Jaffa's penchant for literalness.

"O'Neill" the large dark skinned man intoned. ( _Why does he always call me just 'O'Neill' yet Sam is Major Carter and Daniel is always DanielJackson_) Jack idly wondered to himself as he waited for him to continue. "You will not leave DanielJackson (_There he goes again!_) to the mercy of whatever has befallen him. You will continue the search even after all hope is lost. When General Hammond tells us to stop looking you will disobey his orders. Immature goats have no bearing."

Jack shook his head with a chuckle. Leave it to Teal'c. He shouldn't be surprised, though. ( _This, from the man that brought us undomesticated equines_. )

"You're right, of course. But thanks for reminding me." Jack clapped Teal'c on the back as he made his way back to the base camp as darkness was falling. The night was long, full of weird sounds and odd noises. Jack was up at daybreak. Only Teal'c had beat him up. He stood, hands clasped behind his back, feet slightly apart, facing the twin sunrise. It was quite beautiful, but Jack paid it little heed as he mulled over the plan for the day.

Sam came out and joined them, still half asleep but carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. She wordlessly handed one to Jack while nodding a greeting to Teal'c. O'Neill accepted it equally silently and for a long moment the three remaining members of SG1 stood in companionable silence, each thinking of Daniel. But the moment was just that, and it wasn't but a minute before Jack briskly gave orders to begin the day's festivities.

"Right. Let's get started. Carter, I assume you have reprogrammed the drone for today's pattern?" At her nod, he continued. "Good, then send 'er up. Murphy and I will continue searching the cave system we found yesterday. Teal'c, any luck with the sensors?" he was referring to the Tel'Tak's formidable systems which had been sweeping the atmosphere for anything out of the ordinary.

"Indeed, O'Neill. There were some abnormalities in the radiation readings that Colonel Carter was unable to decipher. I shall gather more information for analysis."

With that, they all broke away to attend to their separate tasks. They kept in touch throughout the day, no one stopping for anything more pressing than a full bladder. They ate sandwiches or power bars and drank purified water they gathered on their travels. It was nearly sunset when they got their first break.

"Sir, I think I have something!" Sam's voice came excitedly over the mike.

"Talk to me, Carter." O'Neill barked, hardly daring to get his hopes up.

"Sir, I am reading nothing in the atmosphere over the southern pole."

"Carter!" he spat angrily. "I thought you said you had something!"

"I do, Sir!. When I say nothing I mean _nothing_. No background radiation, no space dust, no light, no nothing. All my sensor readings indicate a void. That's just not possible, Sir! At least not outside of a black hole."

"So what, it's shielded?"

"Unknown, Sir. It's definitely not Asgaard or Goa'uld shielding, and we can track Lucian shielding, but if I had to make a guess, it's that sort of technology." Sam sounded excited for the first time in days.

"Right." Jack said briskly, thankful to _finally_ have a lead. "Everybody meet up at Sam's position." he ordered everyone on the frequency. The acknowledgements came one after the other, everyone's voice reflecting their newfound energy and optimism.

No one slept that night. Everyone was busy crunching numbers, reading reports and running computer programs. It was mish mash of Tau'ri, Jaffa, Asgaard and Goa'uld technologies but somewhere around 0200, Sam triumphantly presented Jack with a sheet of paper that was stained with coffee and a drip of what appeared to be mustard.

"Whassthis?" Jack asked blearily, having been dozing nearby the entire night.

"Coordinates, Sir. Of whatever is out there that's messing up all our instruments."

"Thass nice. Get a phone number? Howinhell do you expect me to find the front door, Carter, if it's invisible?!" Jack grumped, being caffeine deprived.

Carter's smile faltered. "Well Sir, I was hoping you and Teal'c could figure that out. I just gave you a starting point."

Jack grunted again, but made no other comment. He retired back to his chair and spent the next hour glaring at the report. Carter brought him a fresh cup of coffee. He accepted it silently, barely looking up from the report to make sure he didn't spill any. Major Murphy came over and sat next to Jack. "Any brilliant ideas?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, let's just walk up and knock on the front door" Jack retorted sarcastically. "Hey, we were wondering if you had seen an Archeologist wandering about. We seem to have lost one."

Carter looked up at Jack's tirade. "Actually, Sir," she began hesitantly. "That might not be a bad idea."

"Carter, you forget one minor detail.. there is no front door!"

"But maybe we can still knock." she grew excited and began rapidly typing away on her laptop. Despite himself, Jack was intrigued and hovered over her shoulder as she plugged away. Before long, everyone in proximity had stopped what they were doing and joined in the watching. Only Teal'c appeared aloof, although anyone who knew him well knew differently.

"Got it!" came the exultant shout a couple of hours later, just as dawn was breaking over the horizon. Carter nearly tripped over herself in her haste to show O'Neill. The Colonel, however, just looked blankly at the laptop's screen. He scoweled as it made no sense at all to his addled brain.

"Carter, I am operating on about 15 minutes sleep. The coffee's run out, I am jonesing for a T bone, baked potato with all the trimmings and a 6 pack. What exactly am I looking at? And please.. use words of one syllable or less." he ordered.

"Sir, this is how we are going to get their attention. What do you do when you pick somebody up but don't want to leave the car?" she asked with a grin. "You honk the horn!" she answered her own question. Jack looked at her with renewed interest. "I have altered our sensors and embedded a pattern, the typical one we use when scanning for intelligent life forms on any industrialized planet. Instead of being passively scanning for data, they will be broadcasting it. Right at the center of the void. If there is anything behind it, they will be bombarded with the equivalent of a beeping horn. Or maybe rap music..."

"So maybe they will hear it and open the door? Even if it's just to yell at us to keep the noise down." Jack grinned. "Good Job, Carter. Get to it!"

"Yessir!" she grinned back, pressed a few buttons and hit 'enter'.

**A/n:** _you didn't expect a resolution or anything, did you? tsk tsk. Daniel has to get all 'we come in peace'-y first and talk them out of firing the equivalent of a 12 gauge shotgun at his friends._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n:** _He's awake! and lucid! _

**Chapter Six**

The next time Daniel awoke, he was instantly aware several things were different. First, he realized he was no longer tied down, although he was still on his stomach. Second, he noticed he was naked as a jaybird. Third, it was no longer pitch black, which made it possible to notice the whole unclothed thing. He gingerly tried sitting up, noting with surprise that his back no longer bothered him at all. The trade off was a headache that started around the base of his skull and radiated outward with throbbing intensity. He sat, legs over the edge of the platform and hands holding his brains inside his head, for several minutes before he decided it was safe to attempt a fully upright pose. The floor was cool on his bare feet, but he quickly realized that he wasn't chilled either. The room was small, and sparsely furnished. There was the single platform/bed he had been using, and a smaller, lower platform that held the tattered remains of his uniform and gear. He gingerly made his way over, sighing as he immediately discovered there was no way any of the clothes survived intact enough to use. In fact, there weren't enough scraps to jury rig into anything vaguely resembling something remotely modest. (_At least last time I was an Ex Ancient and could use that as an excuse_. _And there was a handy flag hanging around._)

But that wasn't the worst part. There was no door, or at least none that he could discern. No window, no air vent, no nothing. In other words, no way out. And no way to call for help. Daniel sighed again, frustrated and a little depressed. He still held out hope of rescue, either from the Asgaard, Tok'ra or SGC, but he wasn't sure where he was or how long he'd been out of it, so had no frame of reference from which to base his odds on. He decided to go through what was left of his things in the hopes of finding something useful.

He was so engrossed in his rummaging that he failed to notice that he was no longer alone in the room. The figure made no sound at all, not even breathing noises. It contemplated Daniel's movements in a rather detached way, almost as a scientist would observe a lab rat going through a maze. The gaze was unreadable. No curiosity, no emotion at all. It wasn't until Daniel fumbled with the tattered remains of the vest and a few batteries spilled out of a pocket and rolled across the floor that he noticed anything.

And even then, it would have been comical to observe. At least Jack would have thought so. One of the batteries rolled up against the alien's still form. It bent down and with long, slender fingers retrieved the wayward item. It was your typical Duracell AA battery, found universe wide in still cameras issued to all SGC scientific personnel for use in the field. It was tiny in the palm of the alien's hand.

Daniel's eyes were on the ground, following the path the errant battery took in it's escape attempt. In typical absent minded professor fashion, he distractedly accepted the dropped battery into his own hand, mumbling a vague "Thanks" as he went back to his fiddling with the remains of his gear.

The alien waited, seemingly anticipating the double take that inevitably occurred once Daniel's brain processed his surroundings. The battery slipped through nerveless fingers and bounced once before rolling once again to the alien, where it rested gently against a leg that was decidedly not human. It bent down once again and picked it up, but this time kept it instead of proffering it to the shocked human, who had attempted( very unsuccessfully) to cover his assets with bits of fabric and spread fingers.

Daniel didn't take too long before he tried ignoring certain things and went into 'Meet new alien race' Mode. After all, the Asgaard walked around in their birthday suits, why couldn't he, right? He surreptitiously gave the tall alien the once over. "umm, Hi?" he tentatively spoke. "My name is..." he never got to finish as the alien held up one hand and spoke itself.

"Daniel Jackson of the planet Earth and member of Stargate Command. Your friends are looking for you." the voice was melodious but held a rusty quality to it, as if the alien was unused to speaking. "They are very persistent. And obnoxious." there was no malice in the words, only fact. "You are important to them." still no questioning tone, only a statement as if they were discussing the weather.

"Look if this is an inconvenience I'd be more than happy to just get out of your hair..." Daniel's voice trailed off as he realized that whatever it was on the alien's head, it sure as hell didn't look like hair. Feathers, maybe.

"If this was an inconvenience, Daniel, I would have left you on the planet to perish."

Daniel took a moment to really look at his rescuer. Tall, taller than Jack or Teal'c, the alien was very slender, although not in the almost skeletal fashion that the Asgaard were when you discounted their bulbous heads. And he was more and more convinced that those were feathers, fine wispy ones, almost like down, on the head, which was more or less human shaped with 2 eyes a nose and a mouth. No sign of ears, though, unless they were hidden under the down. The eyes were large and almost all pupil, no whites showing at all. Otherwise, they were unremarkable in their blandness. They were a deep amber color, birdlike in the fashion of owls or maybe a bird of prey. Gender was indeterminate, with none of the more obvious signs being visible under the plain tunic that reached to knees that looked like they were on backwards. The feet were encased in soft boots that could have been fabric, or the skin of some furry animal.

Daniel opted to address his rescue. "Well, thanks for that. We had no idea that the sky was going to explode. Otherwise I am pretty sure we would not have stayed..."

"Your technology could not have assessed the danger. We have only just gained the ability ourselves. We were sent to observe the phenomenon. Your presence was not anticipated." there was something vaguely familiar about the voice, flat though it was Daniel couldn't put his finger on it.

"So, P3X-919 is yours?" Daniel asked.

The alien cocked it's head in confusion. "Ahh The designation you have given.." the alien pronounced a sequence of sounds that must have been in it's language, but all Daniel heard was a series of chirps, squeaks and a possible squeal that he would never have been able to reproduce himself. "I believe the closest translation to your speech would be 'Hellfire.' No, the planet is not under our control. We are merely studying it."

"Who's 'we'?" Daniel asked, hoping to get a name, a species, something. The alien either did not hear the question, or chose to ignore it, for no answer came. Instead, he extended an arm, indicating he wished to inspect the remains of the radio in Daniel's hands. Wordlessly, Daniel passed it over with only a small sense of dread.

"This will be repaired and made compatible with our systems, now that we know what it is. You will then be permitted to make contact with your friends and inform them they can cease their obnoxious noise. It is..unpleasant.. to our ears."

(_That answers that question then, they do have ears. And possibly very sensitive ones_.) he did a double take. "Hey, what did you mean by that.. 'now that you know what it is'?"

"We have never encountered your species before, Daniel. We had no frame of reference so we required one. Your injuries were severe but before you could be treated we had to make sure our methods would not have done more damage. To obtain the information, it was necessary to acquire DNA for extrapolation."

"I am going to regret asking, but just how exactly did you acquire my DNA?" Daniel asked warily.

"I removed a single cell of brain tissue."

"That explains the headache." He sighed. It was no worse than some other alien encounters and could have been a helluva lot worse, he supposed. "So you got what, exactly, from my grey matter?"

"Your entire life experience as well as basic Human anatomy and biology. For instance, I would imagine you are in need of sustenance? It has been determined that some of our food is compatible. Flavor and palatability is of course subjective." The alien moved to the far end of the room and passed a hand over a seemingly random spot on the wall, which disappeared, creating a doorway that led out into a long corridor. The alien stepped aside, gesturing for Daniel to precede him.

"Look, I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but do you suppose we could find me a tunic of my own?" Daniel blushed furiously as the alien swept it's gaze over him.

"There are no younglings here, but perhaps a suitably small article of clothing can be found." and before long, Daniel was enrobed in his very own sleeveless tunic. It came to far below his knees, nearly down to his ankles in fact and since his belt had more or less escaped mostly intact, he used that to give it some shape. He remained barefoot as it soon became patently obvious that foot gear was not compatible. They encountered only a scant few more beings in the walk to what Daniel assumed was some sort of cafeteria. All were dressed plainly in simple tunics of subdued, neutral colors. The downlike hair upon the various heads came in many colors, from a brilliant white to a mottled brown that would not have been out of place on a barn owl.

As he continued to observe, he became more convinced that these aliens had evolved from some sort of avian species. The conclusion did not shock him. In fact, it made a weird sort of sense. Evolution did what was necessary to ensure survival. As he sat down, tray full of grains and small nuts in front of him, he tried to engage his companion.

"You have me at a disadvantage. You apparently know my entire life story, and yet I don't even know your name." Daniel tried to sound lightly teasing.

"You would not be able to pronounce it, Daniel. However, a close approximation in one of your languages would be Accipiter."

Daniel stared. "You're kidding."

"We do not understand humor, Daniel. At least not as Humans do. What amuses you about my name?"

"It's Latin, for a species of bird commonly called Sparrowhawks. Are you descended from birds?"

"We are."

"You know, trying to get any answers out of you is like pulling teeth. It's a good thing Jack isn't here, he'd be making all sorts of snide comments about now. We travel through the Stargate to meet new races and form alliances." before he could continue, Accipiter spoke.

"So Lya told me."

Again, Daniel was dumbstruck. "Lya?! Lya the _Nox_ Lya?!"

Accipiter inclined his head in the affirmative. "Hellfire was once a Nox habitat."

Sudden hope flared in Daniel's breast. Could these birdlike aliens be the mysterious Furlings?! He was bursting with questions but before he could begin asking, they were approached by another birdman, this one sporting feathers as black as a raven's. He carried Daniel's radio, which he handed to the young archeologist wordlessly. But despite the lack of sound, he had the strangest feeling that a conversation was taking place anyway. His suspicions were confirmed when Accipiter nodded once and the black headed one moved away.

"It should be functioning now. You may call your friends. And please ask them to cease their bombardment of our habitat. The noise is most annoying." The approximation of a grimace quickly passed over Accipiter's face.

Daniel wasted no time, quickly thumbing the radio on and switching to a radio frequency he knew would be monitored. "This is Daniel Jackson, calling SG1. Jack? You can call off the dogs, I'm fine."

Both Human and Furling(? _I hope_) waited for a response. It wasn't too long before the radio crackled to life and the annoyed, exasperated and relieved voice of Jack O'Neill came over the airwaves. "Where the _hell_ have you been?!"

**A/n: **_not too much more to come, a reunion, natch. many questiosn will be asked. and almost none answered. depending on the response/feedback, I may revisit and explore some more, maybe answer some of those questions. or not. _


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n:** _ last chapter folks! hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter Seven**

The hours dragged on slowly. Everyone pretended to keep busy, checking computer screens or going over data. But in reality, They were waiting. They had no idea what for, but they waited just the same. Jack paced, back and forth he stalked, sometimes muttering to himself, sometimes glaring at anyone hapless enough to get in his way. Sam fretted nervously, knowing that if her latest scheme didn't work, Daniel was lost to them forever. Teal'c; well, Teal'c was Teal'c. Taciturn to a fault. He spent his time in a modified form of Kel'Noreem. He hadn't biologically needed it for some time now that he was on Tretonin, but he continued the practice, DanielJackson having likened it to meditation.

One of the Juniormost techs, who was assigned to listen to a specific range of frequencies often used by SGC personnel in situations like this, jumped as the background static (which had been threatening to put her asleep) changed to the dulcet tones of Dr. Daniel Jackson. She shoved an elbow into the ribs of the Airman sitting next to her and hissed "Go get the Colonel! I have something!"

He wasted no time rushing over to where the Colonel was pacing and quickly had not only O'Neill but Sam and Teal'c as well following him back to the radio. The Airman removed the headphones from her head and handed them to O'Neill as she stood up to let him take her place. "It sounds like Dr. Jackson, Sir."

Jack grunted an acknowledgement as he sat down in the still warm chair. He frowned as at first all he heard was static but soon, although it felt like an eternity, the loop was repeated. "This is Daniel Jackson, calling SG1. Jack? You can call off the dogs, I'm fine." Jack visibly sagged in relief, eliciting grins from everyone(except Teal'c, of course). He thumbed the switch to audio as he unconsciously leaned forward.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?!" the static crackled through the air until Daniel's voice came through the ether.

"No idea, actually. Met some new friends though, who politely request that you shut off the damn noise." O'Neill waved a hand vaguely at no one in particular and the offending signal was terminated. Daniel's voice came back over the airwaves. "Accipter sends his thanks." At the sound of the name, Jack rolled his eyes and mouthed the name in silent repeat with a cocked eyebrow in Sam's direction. She just shrugged and spread her hands in a 'I have no clue' gesture. The next several minutes were spent trying to coordinate a reunion between Archeologist and the rest of SG1. Daniel instructed his friends to meet him at the coordinates that were being sent over the airwaves. A quick nod from one of the techs told Jack that the coordinates had been received, so he signed off but not before telling Daniel he was in big trouble. Everyone smiled at Daniel's wry chuckle before he too signed off in preparation.

The atmosphere change was palpable. The Airman radioed back to the SGC via the Tel'tak and relayed the good news. Most of the personnel began packing up in preparation for the return back to Earth. Jack started cracking jokes again, Sam beamed in happiness. Teal'c walked around looking quite pleased with himself.

Everyone assembled at the coordinates at the appointed time. Jack fidgeted. Sam literally bounced on her toes. Teal'c stood stock still, hands clasped behind his back and legs slightly apart. "So..." Jack drawled, "what is it gonna be? Transporter beam? Rings? Swirly dust cloud? Camels?"

"Camels, Sir?!" Sam choked out a laugh.

"Haven't had beasts of burden in a while, Carter. We're due. I just hope they don't spit..."

It was none of those. One minute it was just the three of them, the next, Daniel was standing there. No fan fare. No flash of light, no thunderous boom to announce his presence. He was dressed in a simple tunic that was obviously far too large for him and he was barefoot. Sam gasped and without a word rushed over to envelop him into a huge hug.

"Oof. Can't breathe." the archeologist gasped with a laugh. He briefly returned the hug before stepping back and gazing sheepishly out from under long eyelashes at the glaring Air Force Officer. "Hi, Jack." he said, almost shyly.

"Harrumph. So help me, Daniel I am going to stick a shock collar around your neck and set the perimeter for three feet from your desk. If you are lucky, I will move the coffee maker closer." Jack growled before relenting and smiling back at his friend. "You had us worried, buddy."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. You know how it is, I just got distracted."

"Daniel, you have to stop getting distracted so much. I am too old for this shit." Jack's voice held a tinge of real anger as well as fear. Daniel recognized the difference between anger due to philosophical differences, and anger because he had once again caused his friends worry for no reason other than his own careless disregard for his safety. It was a new concept to him, having people actually worry about his well being. It was hard to wrap his head around that fact. He sought to minimize the damage by introducing Accipter to the gang.

Only there was no alien standing next to him. He whirled around, confused. "Did you see a tall skinny guy standing here? Had feathers instead of hair on his head?"

Sam shook her head. "There was no one else but you, Daniel."

"But he was standing right next to me, I was telling him how General Hammond would love to meet him." Daniel's face showed the confusion and dismay he felt.

Jack, however, was well and truly done. "Forget about it. If he sends us a bill later, then fine. But right now I am taking you home, Mister. Dr. Frasier has already called first dibs on you. I hear she has the stethoscope tucked away in the freezer." Jack gave a tight grin. He quickly shooed everyone back to the command tent and gave orders to break everything down and pack up the two ships.

In short order, they were off, Daniel being told in no uncertain terms he was flying back with Jack. The trip was uneventful, Daniel having feigned tiredness and begged off for a nap. The return to earth was low key, sort of. Gen. Hammond met the Team upon their return at the airstrip adjacent to Area 51, where the two alien vessels were hangared. After a quick handshake and "Welcome home, Son" Hammond told Daniel to report to Dr Frasier the minute he got back to Cheyenne Mountain.

Janet Frasier met them at the elevator with a wheelchair and insisted the Daniel ride the rest of the way to the infirmary, despite protestations. It was a short but thorough examination, with Daniel telling her what little he remembered, going into as much detail as he could about his back injuries as well as the invasion of his brain. She ran several tests but found no evidence of the horrific injuries Daniel insisted he had received.

The next day, everyone met in the main conference room and Daniel relayed his experiences. He expressed frustration and regret that Accipiter had apparently not stuck around for a Meet and Greet. "General, all I know for sure is that the planet is, or was, under Nox authority, that Accipiter and his friends were researching the storms, and that they are descended from birds. I think they might have been the Furlings, although every time I broached the subject, he never answered." Daniel paused, excitement on his face. "I want to go back there, do some more research on the ruins."

"Oh _hell_ no." Jack growled out. "You said so yourself, that not even Accio Peter could track the storms or knew how to anticipate them. I told you, I am not letting you out of my sight for a month. At least."

"O'Neill is right, Dr. Jackson. We spent a lot of time and money looking for you and while I do not regret one penny spent, I cannot justify another expedition to P3X-919 at this time. I'm sorry." Hammond rose, signaling the end of the meeting. With a nod to his subordinates, he left the room, calling for Walter as he did so.

Daniel looked glum, but allowed himself to be cheered up by Sam's assurance that eventually, they'd find a reason to go back. Teal'c suggested Movie Night, offering to provide the pizza and DVDs. Jack chimed in saying Beer was on him and told Sam she could bring dessert. As long as it was apple pie. When Daniel asked what he could bring, Sam told him the vanilla ice cream was his responsibility. Later that evening, they all sat around Jack's cabin, stuffed with pizza and pie a la mode, sipping their beer in companionable silence.

"Daniel," Sam asked at one point. "Do you really think Accipiter was a Furling?"

He shrugged. "At this point, I am not sure of anything. But he was just as aloof as the Nox, although he spoke to me as an equal, or at least as an intelligent being."

"Not as 'the very young', then?" smirked Jack. Daniel agreed with a nod.

"One thing is for sure." he said as he drained the last of his beer. "We will be looking for them. And I wouldn't be surprised if they were to watch us as well."

Teal'c spoke then. "Indeed. The Taur'i have made a name for themselves in this galaxy, and beyond. You have been noticed."

The thought sobered all of them. Not everyone was a potential ally, although they also held the opinion that not everyone was a possible enemy either. Jack just hoped that they never bit off more than they could chew until they were better prepared. "Doesn't change a thing. You are still grounded, Daniel. One month, no gate travel."

When Daniel and Sam both protested, he held up his hand. "I mean it. I am too old for this shit. You wear me out. I need a break and since Siler wouldn't weld an anchor chain to your desk with a nice leg shackle, I had to make adjustments." Jack smiled as he knew after the initial sulking, everyone would find the silver lining. Teal'c had been making noises about returning to visit Bra'tac and Ry'ac, Sam was constantly bemoaning the lack of lab time and he knew for a fact that Daniel had at least 3 papers going that needed editing. The down time would do them all good.

And if that meant he could sneak out early every day and go fishing, so much the better...

**A/n:** _I deliberately left it vague with accipiter fading off into the sunset all shy and stuff. Are they Furlings? I'm not telling. at least not yet. if I get enough positve feedback, I may revisit the Stargate Universe. After Frankenstorm Sandy has passed. _


End file.
